Tour de France: Belgian Philipsen won the third stage in the sprint

In the overall standings, Briton Adam Yates continues to lead six seconds ahead of his UAE Emirates team-mate Tadej Pogacar.

In Bayonne, it was the sprinters’ turn for the first time, above all Philipsen. The 25-year-old had already won two stages of the Tour last year, including the prestigious sprint on the Champs Élysées in Paris. Since his successful tour in 2022, Philipsen developed again. That year he also played a role in the classics, including finishing second at Paris-Roubaix.

Of the six Austrians, Marco Haller (67th/Bora), Felix Gall (99th/AG2R) and Felix Großschartner (100th/UAE Emirates) crossed the finish line with the peloton. In the overall standings, Gall is still the best ÖRV driver in 36th place, 5:43 minutes behind.

Concerns about riots

When returning to France, the tour entourage was also accompanied by security concerns, especially since there have been riots in France’s metropolises for days after the death of a 17-year-old during a police check. “We are working closely with the authorities. I speak to the Ministry of the Interior morning, noon and evening. We remain focused and vigilant,” said Pierre-Yves Thouault, Vice-Director of the race. It’s good for the tour that Bordeaux, a major French city, will not be headed for until next Friday.

How vulnerable the tour is was shown on Sunday when strangers apparently distributed tacks on the street. Numerous professional cyclists had to change their wheels about 20 kilometers from the finish line due to punctures. On Monday there was also a striking number of punctures. The reason for this was initially unknown.

The sprinters can hope for a mass finish again on Tuesday when the fourth stage over 181.8 kilometers from Dax to Nogaro finishes at the Paul Armagnac motorsport race track. 800 meters it goes straight ahead slightly uphill at the end.